Paul Pierce and Doc Rivers were part of the 2008 championship-winning team, but the player and the coach did not get on well when they first started working together.
In a recent interview the current 76ers head coach remembered how he and Pierce had disagreement on how the small forward should play.
It led to River benching his star in the final four minutes of a game and a conversation in front of the team for the player to agree to try and do what his coach wants him to do.
Via David Aldridge of The Athletic:
“Doc Rivers: My first year with Paul Pierce was rough. We argued, we bumped heads. My coming to Jesus moment with Paul was, we lost a game (Note: The Celtics actually won the game, with the Bucks, though the rest of Rivers’ recollection is accurate). I took him out with four minutes left and sat him. And didn’t put him back in. So, I’m in the hallway, ’cause I’ve got to talk to the team now after the game. And the players are pissed now too. They’re pissed at Paul, but they’re pissed at me too, ’cause I took him out. And I said ‘Paul, I’m going to say this up front, and I’m going to say it in front of everyone, just so everyone’s clear. I ain’t changing…
…
“And I give Paul credit, because about four days later, he walks into the office, no meeting. He said, ‘You know what? Let’s try it.’ He said, ‘Let’s do this. I’ll do it. If we don’t like it at the end of the year, we can sit and talk.’ And he went from 41 percent (shooting) to 47 percent — thank God.”
